​Royal baby names from A to Z

Having trouble deciding on a name for your future son or daughter? If you need some royally sound inspiration, look to the world's monarchies for ideas.

Here, Hello! lists some possible royal baby names, including their meaning and historic significance, from A to Z.

SCROLL DOWN FOR BOYS NAMES

ALICE, Of a noble kind. Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice (1885-1969), lives up to the meaning of her moniker: she was Queen Victoria’s great-granddaughter.

BEATRICE, Bringer of joy. This traditional name has had resurgence in popularity thanks to William’s cousin Princess Beatrice, who shares her name with Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter.

CHARLOTTE, Free, strong. A feminine spin on Charles, this has been the name of numerous nobles, including glamorous Princess Charlotte (1796-1817) and the youngest Windsor, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

DIANA, Goddess of the moon, divine. The mother of princes William and Harry, later called the “People’s Princess,” wasn’t the first Lady Diana Spencer. The artist daughter of the Duke of Marlborough (1734-1808) shared the name.

FIONA, White, fair. Like Shrek’s modern princess bride, the name Fiona is an updated version of the original Scottish and Irish eponyms Finola and Finnuala.

GABRIELLA, God is my strength. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent gave this name to their daughter. Lady Gabriella, now a journalist, is 40th in line to the throne and is called Ella.

HELENA, Light. Commonly used as a tribute to Roman empress St. Helena, its variants are Helen and Ellen. It was the name of Queen Victoria’s third daughter.

ISABELLA, God’s promise. The Spanish form of Elizabeth, this name has been given to more than 20 international queens and other royal women.

JANE, Gracious. Lady Jane Grey (1536-1554) is called the nine-day queen – the length of her reign before being supplanted by Queen Mary.

KATE, Pure. There are no “Kates” in royal history, but five Catherines have been queen, including Catherine of Aragon, whose marriage with Henry VIII sparked the Protestant Reformation.

LOUISE, Famous warrior. William’s cousin Lady Louise may be named after Queen Victoria’s feisty fourth daughter, Louise (1848-1939). She raised eyebrows when she married a commoner.

MARY, Strong waters. Her Majesty’s grandmother Mary of Teck was engaged to Prince Albert. After he died of the flu, she wed his younger brother, the future George V.

NOOR, Light. The Jordan beauty Queen Noor comes to mind when we think of this name; however, Noor, which is of Arabic origin, is actually a unisex title.

OLGA, Holy. Derived from the Scandinavian “Helga,” Olga is a popular name in Russian aristocracy.

PHILIPPA, Lover of horses. The feminine form of Philip, this Greek name – derived from Alexander the Great’s father – is also the name of Kate’s younger sister.

QUINN, Wise, queen. Perfect for a born ruler, Quinn, which means fifth-born, would also be ideal for a family’s fifth infant

ROSE, Rose. Princess Margaret’s lovely middle name was at the insistence of George V. His wife had wanted to call her “Ann Margaret”

SAVANNAH, Treeless plain. The Queen’s eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips, and his Canadian wife, Autumn, gave their first daughter this name, which has native American origins.

ZARA, Bright as the dawn. It’s thanks to her uncle, Prince Charles, that the Queen’s granddaughter got her name. “She made a sudden and positive arrival and my brother thought it was an appropriate name,” says Princess Anne.

A: ALEXANDER, Defender of the people. The feminine version, Alexandra, is the Queen’s middle name, and it’s believed William and Kate gave their son this middle name in tribute to her.

B: BRICE, From the town of Bruis. This is the family name of famed Scottish king Robert, who led the country to independence from England in 1320.

C: CHARLES, Freeman. Strong Prince Charles shares a moniker with Charles II (1630-1685), who came to power when the monarchy was restored in 1660.

D: DAVID, Beloved. In something of a royal tradition, King Edward VIII (later Duke of Windsor) was known informally as David, the last of his seven names.

E: EDWARD, Noble strength. King Edward I’s (1239 – 1307) campaign to bring Scotland under English control is the subject of the film Braveheart.

F: FREDERICK, Peaceful ruler. Always a favourite with royals, the name had a surge in popula­rity in the 18th century when the German House of Hanover claimed the throne.

G: GEORGE, Farmer. Prince George shares his name with the Queen’s beloved father, George VI, who saw Great Britain through the Second World War.

H: HENRY, Ruler of the estate. He’s known to the world as Prince Harry, but the rugged young royal’s first name is actually Henry – one of the most-storied royal names.

I: INDULF, Wolf. This unusual moniker is the English version of the medieval Gaelic name “Ildulb.” Indulf mac Causantin (d. 962) was king of the Scots

J: JAMES, Supplanting. The 20th-most-popular boy’s name in Canada last year, James is also the name of many British kings and Kate’s beloved younger brother, entrepreneur James Middleton.

K: KENNETH, Fire. King Kenneth MacAlpin is considered by some to be the founding father of Scotland in the ninth century.

L: LOUIS, Famed warrior. Like his son, Prince William has this as a middle name. It was likely chosen to honour Prince Philip’s uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten.

M: MICHAEL, Who is like God. As well as being the name of Kate’s father, Michael Middleton, it is also the name of the Queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent.

N: NICHOLAS, Victory of the people. The Duke of Kent’s son Lord Nicholas Windsor, now in his 40s, shares a name with the saint who is believed to protect sailors.

O: OCTAVIUS, Eighth. Royal families would give this name to the eighth child (or eighth boy), as with Prince Octavius (1779-1783), eighth son of King George III.

P: PHILIP, Fond of horses Prince Charles paid tribute to his father, Prince Philip, when naming his first-born. Philip is one of Prince William’s middle names.

Q: QUINCY, Estate of the fifth son. Derived from the Latin word “quintus,” this was the name of rebel leader Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester (1155-1219).

R: RICHARD, Brave power. King Richard III (1452-1485) may have gotten a bad rap from Shakespeare, but this name has never gone out of style.

S: STEPHEN, Crown. A fitting choice for a royal, Stephen wasn’t always a proper name; it was used as a noun in Homer’s ancient Greek epic The Illiad.

T: THOMAS, Twin. Thomas Becket (1120-1170), the Archbishop of Canterbury, had disputes with King Henry II and was killed by his men.

U: UNREADY, Bad counsel. Ethelred the Unready (968-1016) was just seven years old when he took the throne, hence he became known as the “unready” ruler.

V: VICTOR, Champion. Despite its martial meaning, this name is more famous for its association with saints and religious figures than warriors.

W: WILLIAM, Determined protector. Unless he decides to use a different name – as many monarchs have done – Prince William will become King William V.

X: XAVIER, New house. St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) was one of the first Jesuit missionaries and devoted his life to taking Roman Catholicism to Asia

Y: YOUNG. King Henry II’s successor was known as Henry the Young King to differentiate between father and son. He lived from 1155-1183.

Z: ZEID, To grow. Perfect for a born leader, the name represents a person who encourages progression in himself and others.

HELLO! Canada magazine is available for your tablet and smartphone. Get HELLO! Canada, PEOPLE, Vanity Fair and over 100 more of the world’s best magazines for one low monthly price at Texture by Next Issue. CLICK HERE to sign up for a free trial.